John 17:1-11
Christ’s prayer for the disciples
Read aloud or listen to John 17:1-11.
1After Jesus had spoken these words [to his disciples], he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, 2since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. 5So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.
6“I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; 8for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. 9I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. 10All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. 11And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.”
With a friend or family member, in person or over the phone, explore and discuss the following prompts and questions:
1. The Gospel for today begins with these words: “After Jesus had spoken these words [to his disciples…” What has Jesus previously been saying? Open your Bible to the Gospel of John and work backwards from Chapter 17:1, where does Jesus begin speaking and what does he say? How do his previous words impact your understanding of Jesus’ prayer in this passage? Do they relate? If so, how?
2. Jesus talks about glorifying God “by finishing the work that you gave me to do”, what work is Jesus talking about and how does it bring glory?
3. What is your understanding of eternal life? How did you come to this understanding or who shaped this understanding? Is eternal life something we receive after we die or something we experience now? Is it both?
4. As we overhear Jesus’ prayer, we hear him pray for the protection and unity of his followers, what images or symbols come to your mind when you hear the word, unity? How do you see unity forming in your communities and in the world? What difference does unity make in Christian community?
5. Name some times you have seen individuals or communities, Christian or otherwise, work towards unity. How might God be calling you to work towards unity in your life, communities or the world?
Conclude by listing the prayer concerns and needs and praying together.